Sarasota doctors restore sight for 100

Center For Sight donated 100 free cataract surgeries for people who have no insurance and no means to pay on two days in June, as part of its annual Mission Cataract program.

Center for Sight doctors William Soscia, David Shoemaker, William Lahners and Joshua Kim.

The surgeries were performed by Dr. David Shoemaker, Dr. William Lahners, Dr. Joshua Kim, Dr. William Soscia, Dr. Brandon Parrott and Dr. William Mestrezat, and supported by a team of anesthesiologists, medical technicians, nurses and administrative staff, all of whom donated their services.

Most patients were from Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, with some traveling from as far away as Tennessee and Georgia. To qualify, patients were required to have poor vision due to cataracts that is uncorrectable with glasses; no Medicare, Medicaid, or third-party insurance coverage; and no other means to pay for cataract surgery.

"With fewer surgeons throughout the country participating in Mission Cataract, paired with the economic downturn and the resulting unemployment levels, we have seen more patients today than ever with advanced cataract conditions that have gone untreated for too long," said Dr. David Shoemaker, founder and director of Cataract and Lens Replacement Surgery at Center For Sight. "It is not OK that these people suffer because they cannot pay. Once you've seen the impact these surgeries have on the patients and their lives, there is no other option than to help them."

To ensure funding of its charitable efforts, Center For Sight formed the Center For Sight Foundation in 2012, a donor-advised fund of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Its mission is to provide world-class surgical care to prevent avoidable blindness in patients who cannot afford treatment. Center For Sight Foundation supports and expands the Mission Cataract project, with donations going directly to help purchase pre-operative, surgical and post-operative medications and supplies, including the artificial lenses that are implanted into patients' damaged eyes.

Field Notes

Field Notes are compiled by Health + Fitness reporter Barbara Peters Smith. She can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4936.

Last modified: June 18, 2013
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